Saturday, September 17, 2011

The 25 documents you need before you die

We are all going to die eventually. One of the reasons we fear dying is that we’ll leave behind those we love without providing as best we could for them.

If you want to die without fear, one of the things you need to do is get together all the information that those you love will need to carry on after you’re gone.

It’s easy to procrastinate on preparing the necessary documents. Most of us say, “That can wait till I’m older, and closer to dying.” But remember - the inevitable might come sooner than you think - perhaps as early as today or tomorrow, in the form of an accident or unanticipated illness.

So, where do you begin?

On July 2, 2011, Saabira Chaudhuri had an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The 25 Documents That You Need before You Die” that is an excellent place to start.

One of the most frequent errors made by people who die unexpectedly - or even those who die with knowledge that the end is imminent - is failure to list bank accounts and other places where money is squirreled away. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, state treasurers currently hold $32.9 billion in unclaimed bank accounts and other assets. Does your spouse or someone else close to you know how to find your various accounts, and have you made provision for that person to access your accounts? If you wish, you can search for your own unclaimed assets at MissingMoney.com .

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About Me

Noel Griese is the author of 17 books and numerous articles on various subjects. He has been a newspaper reporter and editor and has taught English and journalism at the Universities of Wisconsin and Georgia. Elected to both the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies, he holds three degrees in English and journalism.